"Hachiman, it's ti to get up..."
In a haze, Hikigaya Hachiman seed to hear soone calling his na, accompanied by the sensation of his arm being gently shaken.
"Really, Hachiman, oversleeping isn't a good habit. It's already light out, so get up!"
The voice appeared again in his dreams. Hachiman frowned slightly. Even without opening his eyes, he was certain from the sound alone that the owner of this voice must be incredibly cute.
The problem was, he didn't know any girl this cute who was on close enough terms to wake him up. That isn't to say Yuigahama Yui and Yukinoshita Yukino weren't cute—it was just that they would never barge into a boys' tent to wake him up.
Wait. A boys' tent?
As his logic kicked in, Hachiman's sleepiness vanished instantly. He snapped his eyes open. The figure of Totsuka Saika, kneeling beside him and leaning over to wake him, ca into focus.
"An angel..."
Looking at the delicate face right in front of him, Hachiman's gaze montarily drifted. But as soon as he rembered the other person's gender, it was as if he'd been struck by lightning. He scrambled out of his bedding and retreated to the far corner of the tent.
"Haha, Hachiman, your reaction when you wake up is so funny..."
Confused by Hachiman's dramatic retreat, Totsuka Saika covered his mouth and let out a soft giggle.
'Damn it, why is this guy a boy?!'
Hearing Saika's laughter, Hachiman felt his face turn beet red. He hurriedly dressed and rushed out of the tent.
"Ah, wait for !" Saika quickly rose and followed.
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As they stepped outside, they bumped straight into Miura Yumiko, who was sporting a pair of heavy dark circles under her eyes.
"Eh?" both Hachiman and Miura exclaid simultaneously.
Miura stared at Hachiman's flushed face, then glanced at the tent behind him, blinking in confusion.
'Why is his face so red this early in the morning? What exactly did he experience in there?'
At the sa ti, Hachiman was curious about the origin of Miura's dark circles. She seed perfectly normal when they parted last night. Had sothing else happened to her after they went their separate ways?
"Good morning."
After a few seconds of silent, mutual suspicion, Miura was the first to speak.
"G-good morning..."
Hachiman replied hurriedly, stunned that Miura would take the initiative to greet him.
"Good morning, Miura-san!"
"Morning, Totsuka."
After greeting Hachiman as if it were nothing unusual, Miura moved on to Saika.
"Breakfast is ready. Let's head over together." Miura twirled a lock of hair around her finger, her gaze drifting toward the distant scenery as she issued the invitation.
"Sure!" Saika replied without a hint of wariness. He then naturally reached out, took Hachiman's right hand, and tugged him toward the dining area.
"!!!"
A skin sensation that seed no less delicate than Yuigahama Yui's traveled from his palm. Hachiman's body went stiff, and he allowed himself to be pulled along like a wooden doll.
Watching his reaction, Miura's brow furrowed slightly—a movent almost imperceptible to the naked eye. She seed to have caught a faint scent of sothing, yet she couldn't quite make sense of it yet.
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"Ah, Hikki! You're here!"
In the canteen area, Yuigahama Yui and Yukinoshita Yukino, wearing aprons, were distributing breakfast to the children. Just as the last child, Tsurumi Rumi, received her al, Yui looked up and saw the trio approaching.
Waving her arms, Yui shouted his na and ran over to greet them. As she approached, Hachiman's gaze subconsciously flickered to her lower leg.
As expected, with the death of the Ghost Emperor, the mark that had been attached to her had completely vanished.
Hachiman was still lost in thought when a pouting face suddenly invaded his field of vision.
"Eh?" Hachiman looked up in surprise. Yui was glaring at him with a look of pure dissatisfaction.
"Honestly, Hikki! What are you looking at so early in the morning?!"
".......Sorry."
Realizing his blunder, Hachiman lowered his head and admitted his mistake. Yui had no idea that a Ghost Emperor had marked her leg yesterday. From her perspective, staring at a girl's legs the mont you et her is just plain rude.
"Well, I forgive you."
Seeing his apology, Yui's mood shifted from cloudy to sunny instantly. She hadn't actually been that angry; she was mostly putting on an act in front of Saika and Miura. She led the three of them into the canteen, brought out the food she had set aside for them, and then excitedly took her own portion over to sit with Yukino.
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After receiving her breakfast, Tsurumi Rumi walked straight to an empty table in the far corner. Perhaps because people had discovered her connection to Hachiman yesterday, the group of four girls who had already been ostracizing her grew even colder. This cold shoulder had spread to the rest of the class as well.
Sitting alone in the corner, even the prepared Rumi felt a pang of loneliness. It felt ridiculous—to be treated this way just for knowing an upperclassman. She couldn't help but scoff at her own past actions.
"I was such an idiot before."
Thinking about how she used to play "palace intrigue" gas with her peers, Rumi shook her head helplessly.
Suddenly, a tray of food appeared across from her. Hachiman sat down right in front of her.
"Can I sit here?"
"You've already sat down, haven't you?"
Rumi retorted, but as Hachiman joined her, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn upward.
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